JBay gears up for the WinterFest

With just a week to go before the start of the JBay Winterfest, the town of Jeffreys Bay is gearing up for an influx of tourism, athletes, music fans and holiday makers.

The ASP World Tour surfers have started arriving in South Africa, and the stage is already set for an epic Winterfest.

The JBay Open ASP World Tour surfing event is the anchor of the Winterfest, and with the world’s top surfers gracing the waves of Suprtubes for the first time since 2011, it promises to be an exciting event. For more on the JBay Open go here www.jbaywinterfest.com/open-of-surfing/

The Oakley X-Over Challenge is an exciting addition to the Winterfest, with top sportsmen and celebrities competing in a multi discipline cross-over challenge during the Winterfest.

Jordy Smith busting. Photo: Clive Wright

Comprising surfing, mountain biking and golf disciplines, the invite only event will see the likes of Jordy Smith, Ryan Sandes, Greg Minnaar, Butch James, Ruan De Smidt, Raynard Tissink, David Miller and Kevin Evans to name a few, competing for the Inaugural Oakley X-Over Challenge trophy.

The VW Rally is set to take place on the streets of JBay on the 11 and 12 July, and promises to bring high speed adrenalin action to JBay. For more on this exciting event go here www.jbaywinterfest.com/vw-rally

The VW Rally is part of the JBay WinterFest. Photo: Stan Blumberg

Steve Pike will be running his famous Wavescape Swell Courses during the Winterfest, and there are limited numbers for this event.

The Wavescape Swell Course uses video and graphics to take you on a journey into the deepest ocean storms to observe how waves form, how swell moves through the sea and what happens when it arrives at the coast.

The JBay Mountain Bike open is another dynamic event that forms part of the Winterfest. The track has been purpose-built for the event, there are a number of tunnels and constructed berms and bridges, and the route promises to be a fast one. For more information and to enter go here www.jbaywinterfest.com/mtb-open/

Swimmers prepared to brave chilly water over long distances can compete in the JBay Winterfest Cold Water Swim Classic.

Marina Martinique is the venue of the Cold Water Classic. Photo: Dirk Erasmus

There will be both a 7.5km and a 2.5km open water swim. Watch Theodore Yach, the King of Robben Island take on the 12 C water of Marina Martinique. Theo hold the record for the most Robben Island crossings, currently at 81 swims.

“The JBay Winterfest 2014 is ready to go,” said festival organiser Koffie Jacobs. “It has been a challenge putting it all together, but the town of Jeffreys Bay and all the individual event stakeholders have worked together closely over the last few months, with the common goal of putting Jeffreys Bay back on the map.”